Emmanuel Daudu/Maryam Aminu
Nigeria’s military on Thursday declared a decisive escalation in its war against terrorism and criminality, announcing the killing of 216 insurgents, the arrest of 284 suspects, and the rescue of 188 kidnapped victims in coordinated operations across the country in April 2026.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, stated that troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria recorded “significant operational successes” during the period, noting that the offensives cut across all theatres and targeted terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements threatening national security.
He said the military, within the month under review, “neutralised over 200 terrorists in multiple engagements, rescued 188 abducted civilians comprising women, children, the elderly, farmers, and worshippers, and restored them to their families,” while also dismantling several terrorist strongholds.
The defence spokesman added that troops “stormed and destroyed terrorist camps, criminal enclaves, improvised explosive device (IED)-laden hideouts, and illegal armament production facilities,” stressing that the operations also led to the arrest of “284 key ring leaders, logisticians, and collaborators who had hitherto operated with impunity.”
Providing a regional breakdown, he disclosed that in the North-East, troops killed 136 terrorists, arrested 144 suspects, rescued 18 victims, while nine insurgents surrendered, noting that sustained offensives continued to weaken insurgent capabilities in the region.
He further stated that in the North-West, troops neutralised 24 terrorists, arrested 32 suspects, rescued 70 kidnapped victims, and recorded the surrender of one terrorist, adding that operations in the zone were intensified to curb banditry.
Onoja explained that in the North-Central, troops under Operation Savannah Shield killed 21 terrorists, arrested 17 suspects, and rescued 10 victims, while troops of Operation Enduring Peace “eliminated 18 terrorists, arrested 48 suspects, and rescued 53 kidnapped victims.”
He added that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke also “neutralised 14 terrorists, arrested 40 suspects, and rescued 35 victims,” describing the combined efforts as a major boost to security in the region.
According to him, in the South-South, troops of Operation Delta Safe arrested 17 suspects, destroyed two illegal refining sites, and recovered 101,443 litres of petroleum products, noting that the operations dealt a blow to oil theft and economic sabotage.
He said in the South-East, troops of Operation Udo Ka killed three terrorists, arrested 16 suspected criminals, and rescued two kidnapped victims, maintaining that security forces remained resolute in tackling emerging threats in the zone.
The defence spokesman emphasised that the achievements recorded were “not abstract statistics,” explaining that “behind every rescued victim is a family made whole, and behind every destroyed enclave is a community reclaimed.”
He reaffirmed that the Armed Forces remained committed to professionalism and accountability, stating that all operations were conducted “in strict compliance with the Rules of Engagement, the Laws of Armed Conflict, the Rome Statutes, and relevant provisions of International Humanitarian Law.”
Onoja assured Nigerians that the military would sustain the tempo of operations nationwide, stressing that troops remained determined to protect civilians and dismantle all criminal networks threatening the country’s peace and stability.
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